A displaced cat is a cat that has found itself in unfamiliar territory. A house cat that has escaped from home is a displaced cat.
A displaced cat will be terrified as their natural survival instincts kick in quite quickly. They will hide at the nearest place they feel is safe, and may stay there without moving or making a sound for around 24-48 hours, but they could stay there for as long as 10 days. They can probably hear you calling but are too frightened to come out.
1.
Search your garden and the garden of every neighbour, top to bottom. Go as far as five houses away in every direction. Check inside as well as behind and under every item of furniture and under as well as inside every hedge/bush/plant pot etc. Don’t forget to check under sheds. Take your time, mentally divide the area into blocks the size of a small cardboard box and search every one to ensure you cover every inch of the area. Don’t forget to look up trees and on roofs. Feel anywhere you can’t see as cats can get into the smallest of places. Call gently/quietly in a happy voice and do not move too quickly. Do not shout, if your cat is frightened and close, you may frighten it further away if you shout or sound worried. Be aware that cats tend to climb upwards to stay above predators so your cat is more likely to be in a hedge or on a shelf than on the ground. Cats move, check the same places day after day.
2.
Report your cat as lost on your Facebook feed and the following four Facebook groups:
Guernsey Lost and found pets, formerly Animal Aid
Guernsey Lost Pets
Guernsey Cat Community
GSPCA
The details they need are:
a. Photographs of your cat.
b. Cats name.
c. Date and time last seen.
d. Place last seen.
e. Whether or not your cat is microchipped and neutered.
f. Your name and telephone number.
Check the comments at least three times a day. Repost or ask the admins to repost twice a week.
3.
When your cat feels brave enough to move again, he may make a dash for home, this is likely to be in the middle of the night. Make sure that doors and window are open on every side of your house for easy access. If your cat cannot enter the house, or gets spooked whilst trying to enter the house he will run and hide to the nearest place he feels safe again. Build ‘safe places to hide’ around your house. Lots of them. A large box with a small opening on one side. A chair with a heavy towel covering three and a half sides. Use whatever you have in your garden to build a small space and cover it with a blanket leaving an opening. The opening to these safe places should face your home. If he hides in one of these safe places, he has a chance to calm down and may just calmly enter the home again as soon as he sees you.
4.
Put something that smells of you outside. The most powerful scent is your dirty wash bin/dressing gown/pillow with a hot water bottle inside to make it extra smelly. Keep refilling the hot water bottle as often as you can, the security of your smell may draw him home. If you also have dogs, it is fine for them to be in the garden and their scent may encourage your cat home.
5.
Create a small flyer, you can usually get four on an A4 sheet of paper. Create a poster, A4 or larger.
They should include:
a. A photograph of your cat.
b. The phrase “CATS-NAME IS MISSING!”
c. Your name and telephone number.
Click on the example below: 
I can print flyers, posters and a map of your area and deliver them to you, usually within a few hours. Send me a PM on Facebook here with your cats name, a photograph and a telephone number for the flyer/poster. Include your address so I can deliver them to you. A £5 (£10 will also pay for someone who can’t afford it) donation to cover paper and ink would be appreciated but is not required.
Deliver these to at least 10 houses (or 250 meters if fields) in every direction from your home. Go to Guernsey Maps and print off a map of your immediate area, you’ll be surprised how close properties ‘behind you’ actually are.
6.
Walk out / call in. Go to Guernsey Maps and identify at least 6 routes to your house. Walk out at least 250 meters from your house without making any sound, then walk back to your house in as straight a line as possible (you may need to walk through gardens or fields) calling very gently in your normal/happy tone (a cats hearing is 6 times better than ours) and shake a box of cat biscuits and/or jingle his favorite toy. Dawdle. The slower you walk on the way back the better. Call and shake biscuits then stay quiet and listen for your cat meowing, walk ten steps, stop and repeat. Investigate any noises/rustling after you call. If you see your cat following you do not try to grab it as you may frighten it further away, just keep leading it home by calling and shaking the biscuit box. If your cat runs away from you do not follow, just keep walking home gently calling his name and shaking biscuits. This is the most successful way of recovering a displaced cat. You are not likely to see your cat following you home. The best time to do this is between 3am-5.30am as this is the quietest time in Guernsey and there is no/little distant traffic noise, however you can do this at any time.
7.
If your cat is still not home after 5 days, and there are no close sightings, he may have moved out of your immediate area and he becomes a lost cat. Follow this advice: https://guernseycats.com/lost-cat/.
Your indoor cat is a lot more resourceful than you think. He will find water and is likely to eat bugs, catch a meal or steal hedgehog or other cat food. He will have some road sense. He will not fall into a drain. His natural survival instincts will kick in. Stay calm, arrange a search rota with other family members so you all get some sleep. For example, one of you to sleep from 6pm to midnight whilst the other searches, then swap over for the midnight to 7am shift. It is important to look after yourself too.